Fort Smith

National Historic Site
AR,OK

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1873 Winchester Rifle and Carbine

NPS Photo

1873 Winchester Rifle and Carbine

Calibers: .44-40, .38-40, and .32-20

Barrel length: Rifle 30" Carbine 19"

Commonly called the gun that won the west, this is the most common rifle seen in pictures of the deputy marshals. These came in both carbines and rifles and several calibers. Winchester based its first repeating rifle in 1866 on the Henry. The 1873 was the second design by the company and remained a popular model for several years. The advantage of the rifle was better accuracy and distance while the carbine was easier to carry and use on horseback.